Forming machine for pop corn and the like



March 17, 1931. I w. H. CARSON 1,796,321

FORMING MACHINE FOR POP-CORN AND THE LIKE Filed July 25, 1927 3Sheets-Sheet l A TTORNEYS.

March 17, w H CARSQN 1,796,321

FORMING MACHINE FOR POP-CORN AND THE LIKE Filed July 25, 1927 3Sheets-Sheet 2 nun un IIIII/ I \1\\\\\LI2!IJIILILIIIJIILLILIII/WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. "innit/1W 7 ATTORNEYS.

March 17, 1931. v w CARSON 1,796,321

FORMING MACHINE FOR POP-CORN AND THE LIKE Filed July 25, 1927 3Sheets-Sheet 5 A ,2 i 66 Fl6.8. E

MW INVENTOR- ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 17, 1931 PATENT oFF cE WILLIAM H.CARSON, OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA FORMING MACHINE FOR POP CORN AND THE LIKEApplication filed July 25, 1827. Serial No. 208,332.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for compressing andshaping popcorn into convenient packages for marketing, handling andconsuming, and for the holding of a prize therein.

The objects of this invention are to provide a machine of the characterdescribed which will be new, efficient and of utility, and adapted toform pop-corn and other like confections into a cone shaped body havinga hemispherical top; to form and leave a depression or cavity in thesaid hemi-spherical top for the insertion of a small token or prize; toso form said cavity as to facilitate the handling and to expedite theconsumption of the popcorn or other confection contained in the packageformed; also to provide a machine which may be operated either by handand foot, or automatically, when attached to a proper conveyor andoperating system.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claimshereto appended; it beingunderstood that vari ous changes in the form,proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope ofthe claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention;

In the present form of machine the hand and foot operated unit isillustrated showing the preferred embodiment in the accompany 3 ingdrawings in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation of the pop-corn moldingmachine, omitting the treadle and supporting legs; 2 is a perspectiveview of the pop-corn shown pressedinto the containers; Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of the machine; Fig. 4 is a perspective of the rotating orturning means for the plunger; Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional viewthrough the plunger showing the electrical heating element; Fig. 6 is aplan 5 View of Fig. l with upper portion of the machine removed; Fig. 7is a sectional view through the lower die or cone carrier; Fig. 8 is aside elevation of the complete machine showing foot operating means.

The machine will be hereinafter described rod 25.

as employed for forming cones of pop-corn, but it is not intendedthereby to limit this invention to such use, since it will be evidentthat the machine can be used for the forming of other things as well.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in all the. figures.

In the employment of the invention illustrated. in the accompanyingdrawings, the figure 1 represents the base or frame upon which the partsof the machine are mounted, which is preferably supported by legs 2 asshown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 8. The base of the machine may be of wood or ofany other suitable material. The vertical supporting frame 3, consistingof the vertical side members l and 5 and the top horizontal cross member6 is rigidly attached to the base 1 by bolts 7 and nuts 8 as shown inFigs. 1 and 3. To the cross member 6 is attached the member 9, showninenlarged perspective in Fig. 4,having a part cylinder portion10,'provided with the curved slot 11, which virtually constitutes acylindrical cam of approximately one-fourth revolution, thus supplying aturning means for the plunger 30, hereinafter described. The bolt holes13 and 14, serve as a method of attaching the member 9 to the crossmember 6. r

Bolted directly to the base 1 is member 15, shown in elevation in Figs.1 and 3 and in plan in Fig. 6. Member 15 forms the support for frame 3and is attached to the said base 1 by bolts 7 as seen in Fig. 6. Thebushings 16 pass through holes in 15 and serve as guides for slidingmembers or rods 17 of the vertically reciprocating frame 18. The rods 17are each provided with two nuts 19, 20, at their upper ends, by means ofwhich they are securely attached to the horizontal top bar 21, and inlike manner the horizontal bottom bar 22 is secured by other nuts 19, 20all of which is to be seen in Fig. 1. Near the center of bottom bar 22,a hinge 23 with pin 24 is provided for the attachment of a connectingThe said rod 25 having hinge connection 26 to the foot treadle 27 asseen in Fig." 8. The treadle retrieving spring 28 one endof which isattached to across-piece of the base 29 the other end being joined'tothe treadle, serves to return the said vertically reciprocating frame18, to the normal position as shown in Fig. 1, after being lowered inthe operation of the machine.

Near the center of the horizontal top bar 21 01": the verticallyreciprocating frame 18 is securely bolted the forming plunger 30, bymeans of the upper flange 31 and the loci: nut 3 The forming plunger 30consists of the hollow shaft-like member 33 the lower flange 34, theplunger body 35 provided with a cavity for the reception of closed endof the said hollow member 33, the said plunger body 35 having ahemispherical depression 36 formed in its extreme lower end and providedwith a cone shaped point 37 for forming a depression in the top of thepop-corn package also within the hollow shaft 53 an electricallyoperated heating element 38 for raising the temperature of the plungerbody 35, all of which may be seen in the sectional view of Fig. 5. InFigs. 1 and 3 it will be seen that the plunger body 35 is provided onone side of its upper end with hinge and clamp 40 together with bolt andnut ll screwed into a threaded hole in and the compression spring 42,the said clamp ill being forked and having a bearing conta 5 uponopposite sides of flange 34 oil the shaft 33. By this means the plungeroody 35 ms be removed from the shaft 33 while the spring 4?. permitslimited vertical movein nt of the body 35 with reference to the shaft33, and also permits the said plunger body to rotate about the shaft inhorizontal ple On the side opposite the hinge 39 plunger body 35 isprovided with a three boss 43 into which is screwed the pin The smoothrounded outer end of the said pin 44- is suited to fit in the slot 11,the member 9. As the frame 18 to which the forming plunger is attachedis carried downward by means of the foot tread Q7 and its connectionsthe pin 44 travelin i the can:-

like slot 11 causes the formingiunger 30 to turn approximatelyone-fourth revolutioin the purpose of which will. be hereinafter e:-plained.

Movably mounted. between guides 45 held down by bolts 46 to member 15 isthe cone carried l? best shown in Figs. 1 3 and 6 and in section on Fig.'2. The cone holder 48 is provided with beveled edge flanges 19 re ingon the member 15 and held down by beveled edges of the guides 45, thuspermitting the ca'rrier 47' to have motion in horizontal plane. Hingedto the cone holder 48 is a hopper 50 being a hollow cylinder with innerbeveled upper edge 51, a flanged lower outer edge 52 and a sharp innerlower edge 53 projecting slightly downward within the upper edge of the;cone receptacle 5d of the cone holder 48. The hopper 50 is rigidlylocked to the cone holder 48 by means of the latch 55 in hingeconnection with 48 and bearing against the flange 52 of the hopper 50.The latch is made narrower than the space between the hinge supports inorder that a short piece of compression spring may he slipped on thepivot of said hinge on both sides of the said latch 55, thuspern'iitting of a slight side-wise motion of the latch but insuringpositive locking of the hopper 50 to the cone holder -18.

in order to insure proper vertical alignment of the forming plunger 30the cone holder 418 and the hopper 50 there is rigidly bolted to thehorizontal top bar 21 of the vertically reciprocating frame 1.8 thealigning rod 57 having the pointed end 58 which passes through theaccurately located bushing on the flange 49 ot the cone holder 48. Theupper edge the hole in the bushing 59 is slightly flaring, whichtogether with the pointed end of the aligning rod 5? insures positiveentering of the rod into the bushing and the proper alignment of theforming plunger and cone carrier.

The pop corn machine operates in the following manner. The cone carrieris moved to its outermost position in the guides l5, the latch 55 isturned so as to unlock the hopper 50, the hopper is swung about itshinge so as to permit a previously formed paper cone to be insertd inthe cone receptacle 54. The hopper 50 is brought back into position andlocked by means 01 latch 55, the sharp edge 53 of the hopper grips theedge of the paper cone as in a vise. The hopper 50 and open end of thecone are filled with syrup-coated pop corn by hand. The cone carrier isnow pushed underneath the forming plunger 30 and brought into perfectalignment by mea s of aligning rod as soon as the foot treadle ispressed downward. As it descends the pin 44% moving in the slot 11 ofthe member 9 causes the plunger body 35 to turn one-fourth of arevolution, giving a twisting effect to the corn. This assists informing the heinispherical topv to the cone shaped confection. Theplunger body 35 being heated by the electrical element 38, causes thesyrup on the pop corn to act more or less as a lubricant when beingformed it will slide into place more easily. The heat also prevents thesyrup from sticking to the plunger. The foot treadle is released, theplunger rises to its normal position seen in Figs. 1 and 3 and the conecarrier is moved to the right in Fig. 3 until the flange 52 of thehopper 50 strikes the stop 60. The latch is turned to unlock the hopper.which is then swung to the left out of the way. This releases the conecarrier from top (30. and puts the filled cone in a pos'tion to beejected from the machine.

The ejecting device is shown in 1 ad 3 and more clearly in Fig. 7. Itconsists i a small cylinder (31 within the bottom of the cone holder 48and has'a hollow cone shaped opening to receive the pointed end of thepaper cone and about one-third of its axial length. A smallshaft 62integral With the cylinderpasses through a hole in the bottom of thecone holder 48 and upon this shaft is placed a coiled compression spring63 held in place bythe washer and nut 64. The extreme lower end of thesaid shaft 62 terminates in a fork in which is placed a roller 65.

When the hopper 50 has been swung to the left in Fig. 3 so as to bereleased from the stop the cone holder is moved still farther to theright until the roller mounts the incline 66. This raises the ejectorcylinder 61, which supports the now filled paper cone and if the holderis moved rapidly the ejector will throw the cone upward out of theholder with considerable force.

The incline 66 is a part of the cross frame member 67, bolted to theL-shaped vertical members 68, the tops of the said members 68 arefastened by the bolts 69 to both the member 15 and the guides 45 andserve both as a means of fastening 45 to 15 as well as a stop to preventthe cone carrier 47 from passing out of the guides to the right. Stops70 on the left end of the guides 45 as seen in Fig. 6 prevents thecarrier 47 from passing out of the guides to the left.

The conical point 37 centered within the hemispherical cavit formed onthe lower end of the plunger ody serves to form and leave a depressionin the hemispherical top of the filled cone. This depression serves as adepository for a small token or prize and also facilitates theconsumption of the popcorn contained in the cone shaped confection.

Having described my invention what is claimed and desired to be securedby Letters Patent, is:

1. A machine of the character described, comprising a plunger member forforming the top of a moldable mass, rotatably mounted on a verticallyreciprocating frame having guide rods adapted to move vertically, meansfor rotating said plunger member, means for reciprocating said frame,renewable guides for said rods, and a slidable cone carrier mountedbetween horizontal guides on said machine and adapted to be broughtunder said plunger member and adapted to support and hold said mass in apreformed container while the top of said mass is being formed by saidplunger, said plunger member adapted for shaping the top of and packingsaid mass in said container.

2. A machine of the character described, comprising a rotatably mountedplunger member rigidly supported by a vertically reciprocable frame,means carried by a sta- 1 tionary frame for rotating said plunger withinsaid reciprocating frame, means for reciprocating said reciprocatingframe, and a cone carrier slidably mounted between horizontal guides onsaid machine, said carrier adapted to support a moldable mass in apreformed container and adapted to be brought under said plunger forpacking said mass into said container and for shaping the top of saidmass. V

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of arotatably and reciprocally mounted plunger member for packing andforming a spherical shape to the top of a moldable mass, means forrotating and reciprocating said plunger, a slidably mounted cone carrieradapted to carry said moldable mass and to be brought under saidplunger, and means for supplying heat to said plunger for expediting theforming of said mass.

4. A machine of the character described, comprising a rotatably andreciprocally mounted cylindrical plunger member having a hemisphericalrecess in its extreme lower end of a radius equal to that of thecylinder forming said plunger, a knife edge formed by said recess andthe circumferential edge of said cylinder, means for rotating andVertically reciprocating said member, and a slidably mounted conecarrier adapted to carry a moldable mass in a preformed container, andto be brought under said plunger for packing the mass in said containerand for forming a spherical top to said mass.

5. A machine of the class described, comprising a rotatably andreciprocally mounted cylindrical shaped plunger member, having in itsextreme lower end a recessed hemispherical cavity, said cavity havingtherewithin a solid cone-shaped projection axially positioned on thevertical center line of the plunger member, means for rotating andvertically reciprocating said member the said cavity and projectionproviding means for giving a spherical shape to the top of a molded massand forming a depression in the same for the insertion of a small token,the said mass being packed in a preformed cone-shaped container, and aslidable cone carrier supporting said container and disposed under thesaid plunger member.

6. A machine of the character described, comprising a rotatably andreciprocally mounted cylindrical shaped plunger body,

means for rotating and reciprocating said body, said body having ahemispherical recessed cavity in its extreme lower end and having asolid cone shaped projecting member within said cavity for forming adepression in the hemispherical top of a moldable mass, the sharp upperedge of thesaid depression thus formed serving as a point of attack inmasticating the molded mass, the said plunger body being provided nearits top with a bifurcated clamp in hinged connection therewith adaptedto attach said body to the flanged shoulder upon the shaft of theforming plunger, a bolt in threaded connection with the said plungerbody having a nut and compression spring for mounting and dismountingsaid clamp and yieldingly holding said plunger body against saidshoulder and opposite the hinged connection of said clamp, a boss havinga threaded hole, a pin disposed therewithin being adaptedto be guided bythe cylindrical cam-like slot in a turning means, turning means forimparting a rotating motion to the plunger body in its downwardmovement, to contact, pack and form a spherical top to a molded masswithin a preformed cone-shaped container, and a cone carrier slidablymounted for control within guides disposed under said plunger body, saidguides being provided with stops at both ends.

7. A machine of the character described, comprising plunger member forforming the top of a moldable mass rotatably mounted on a verticallyreciprocating frame having guide rods adapted to move vertically, meansfor rotating said plunger member, means for reciprocating said frame,renewable guides for said rods, a slidable cone carrier mounted betweenhorizontal guides on said machine and adapted to be brought under saidplunger member and adapted to support and hold said mass in a preformedcontainer while the top of said mass is being termed by said plunger,said plunger member adapted for shaping the top of" and packing saidmass in said container, and means for automatically ejecting saidcontainer from said carrier when said carrier reaches its outermostthrow in its slidable movement.

8. Organization as described in claim 7, in which said carrier isprovided in its base with a cylindrical recess adapted to receive thelower portion of said container, and is also provided with a smallercentral through bore, and in which said ejecting means comprises a shaftslidably mounted in said bore and extending therebelow, said shafthaving a roller mounted on its bifurcated lower end and having a coiledcompression spring normally holding said shaft in a downward extendingposition, an inclined plane member adapted for contacting said rollerand raising said shaft when said carrier reaches the outermost end ofits throw, said shaft adapted to contact and eject said container fromsaid carrier when so raised.

9. Organization as described in claim 8, in which the car ier isprovided at its top with a hinged hopper adapted to be closed upon andlatched to said carrier and adapted to clamp said container rigidlywithin said carrier, and in which a stop is provided upon the carrierguides for stopping said carrier medially in its outward travel untilsaid hopper has been manually swung from its latched position.

10. A machine of the character described, comprising a rotatably andreciprocally mounted cylindrical plunger member, hav ing a hemisphericalcavity in its extreme lower end, a downstanding conical shaped WILLIAMH. CARSON.

